Furnaces

These three zone resistance wire wound furnaces are of
split construction to facilitate fast and easy loading of a
pre-assembled specimen train. The case is constructed
from stainless steel with aluminium and hardened
insulation board end plates. The optional front cut-out allows the use of side-entry high-temperature extensometry.
Adjustable stainless steel latches keep the furnace halves
locked together during use, but are then easily opened once testing is complete. The furnace is available with optional heavy duty brackets or mountings, which attach to a wide range of testing systems.
An extensive range of standard controllers is available to
suit most test regimes. Custom variants can be specified
should the standard range not include a suitable unit.

Principle Of Operation

The resistance wire is wound on to recrystallized alumina
tube in three independent zones to form the furnace element. This three-zone format allows the user to tailor the furnace temperature gradient, creating a uniform central zone. High-performance ceramic fiber insulation is used to reduce heat losses and provide fast heating
rates. The specimen is heated through a combination of convection and radiation, dependent on the test temperature. The furnace bore has been optimized to suit
a wide range of test fixturing without encouraging excessive
thermal losses. Type K thermocouples are provided as
standard, but any other configuration is available on
request.